“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.” Psalm 119:176, KJV
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6, KJV
“My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.” Jeremiah 50:6, KJV
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep . . . I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:11, 14, KJV
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,” Hebrews 13:20, KJV
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:10-14, KJV
“But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24, KJV
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37, KJV
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:28, KJV
“. . . he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5, KJV
NOTE #1: In Acts 2:16-18, the Apostle Peter — who had just been filled with the Holy Spirit — is clearly saying two things: Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled at that time during the First Century, and that period was also the Last Days. The phrase “last days” does NOT mean from 30 AD to the 21st Century, as some modern, Futurist-leaning Bible teachers erroneously teach. That is a false doctrine of men.
NOTE #2: The fact that in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 the Apostle Paul includes himself by saying “we” is clear proof that he was expecting Christ’s soon return, and he was hoping to still be alive to witness it.
NOTE #3: In Hebrews 1:1-2, the phrase “last days” refers to the very end of the Prophet Daniel’s 70 weeks — or 490 years — prophecy. It has nothing to do with our modern times, as Futurists claim.
NOTE #4: In Hebrews 10:37, the phrase “a little while” does NOT mean 2,000 years in the future as the Futurists claim.
NOTE #5: In James 5:2-3, 7-8, the Apostle James is likewise confirming that it was the Last Days, and he was convinced that Jesus would be returning soon.
NOTE #6: 1 Peter 4:7 confirms the phrase “in these last days” mentioned in Hebrews 1:1-2 above.
NOTE #7: In 1 John 2:18, not once, but twice, the Apostle John tells his readers that it is the Last Time, or the very end of the Prophet Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy.
Conclusion: Peter, James and John — who were Jesus’ inner circle — as well as the Apostle Paul, were all convinced that Jesus would return during their lifetimes, exactly as He had promised them in these verses:
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN, AND RECEIVE YOU unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also . . . I will not leave you comfortless: I WILL COME TO YOU.” John 14:2-3, 18, KJV
How can so many modern, Futurist-leaning Christians continue to resist the plain truth of the Scriptures?
“Apostles Were Convinced Jesus Would Return Soon” KJV Bible Verse List:
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. … Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation deserts the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice.” — George Washington, 1st US President, 1789 to 1797, Founding Father
“The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity.” — John Adams, 2nd US President, 1797-1801
“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God, [and] that they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever.” — Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President, 1801-1805, author of the Declaration of Independence
“The only true basis of all government [are] the laws of God and nature. For government is an ordinance of Heaven, designed by the all-benevolent Creator” — Samuel Adams, Statesman, political philosopher, Founding Father
“The birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.” — John Quincy Adams, 6th US President, 1825 to 1829
“In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it, we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.” — Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President, 1861 to 1865
“Now, the best religion the world has ever had is the religion of Christ. A man or a community adopting it is virtuous, prosperous, and happy. … What a great mistake is made by him who does not support the religion of the Bible!” — Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th US President, 1877-1881
“I assume the arduous and responsible duties of president of the United States, relying upon the support of my countrymen and invoking the guidance of Almighty God. Our faith teaches that there is no safer reliance than upon the God of our fathers, who has so singularly favored the American people in every national trial and who will not forsake us so long as we obey his commandments and walk humbly in his footsteps.” — William McKinley, 25th US President, 1897 to 1901
“The teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally — I do not mean figuratively, I mean literally — impossible for us to figure to ourselves what that life would be if these teachings were removed. We would lose almost all the standards by which we now judge both public and private morals; all the standards toward which we, with more or less of resolution, strive to raise ourselves.” — Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President, 1901 to 1909
“The same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe — the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” — John F. Kennedy, 35th US President, 1961 to 1963
“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and THOU SHALT CALL THEM TO MIND among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And SHALT RETURN unto the LORD thy God, and SHALT OBEY his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That THEN the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.” Deuteronomy 30:1-10, KJV
